MerlinHalliwell: When you write it in Word, don't skip a line between paragraphs. Then, save it as a web page or html document. When you upload it (ff.net uploads html) it will appear as mine do. Thanks for reading!
Momma-dar: Glad I could be inspiration for you! I love that story! (You're talking about A Chance at Normal right?) Keep up the great work!
Kateri: Very ironic, no?
Mikee: Here's some, but not a lot. There's bookoo in the next chapter.
Snape coolgirl: Thanks for reviewing!
Wolfie Jr: Needed? Yes. Easy to write? No. You come up with the weirdest items.
Moon Kitty: There will be more action in an upcoming chapter. A lot more.
Snapefan51: Right on target you were! She remembers Severus and Lily's days here, and a touch of nostalgia ensues.
Pineapplehead: That's about all the fluffiness I can write.
Fanfiction fanatic: A huge jerk, and it's not over yet.
Lee Lee Potter: Just what Harry's thinking.
Phoenix Flight: Whoo hoo!
Liliana-Suger: I plan to!
Mistri: Good Lord…do you know how long it took me to figure out your item? That's confusing there.
T.a.g.: Here's a little.
Charma1219: Perfect? Thank you!
Jen~: That is so not the end. There's still Voldie to take care of.
CraJure: Welcome to the story and thanks for joining us!
Sparrow: I love Christmas myself!
Dragonwolf: Wow, I'm being evil? How? *looks around innocently* I didn't mean to…hehe…*cue mad laughter*
Chaser: Updating as soon as I can!
Takari4ever7: That was all for you! I had to get something in there.
Lady Lightning: Indeed…what shall happen next?
Esperanza: Her animal is very interesting…I don't think anyone could guess.
Jenwaa1981: You'll see next chapter, and what was up with that item?
Kitala: SEVERITUS ROCKS! Hehe…sorry, got a little carried away.
Taryn and Jordan: Hehe, nice name (you'll see why), totally unexpected. Thank you so much for the wonderful praise. My grandmother was an English professor…I have to have impeccable grammar or she'd hit me with a cane from the grave. This chapter is dedicated to you, who spent all that time reading!
Saavik: *begins chanting* ten days…ten days…ten days…ten days…hehe, I've got it preordered to deliver to my dorm room that day…I was the very first person (I like to think) that owned it, cuz I get updates from Amazon when things come out, and I ordered it the second it went on sale.
This one's dedicated to Taryn and Jordan, who read this thing all the way through for four hours straight. Wow. Also, to Alecatq: You were right. You did leave me those items long ago. So I fit them both in this chapter as an apology. Enjoy!
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Harry dropped his bag exhaustedly inside the living area of his father's chambers. He had just seen Ron off on the train, and it was now just he and the professors. He sighed and trudged to his room, kicking off his shoes and collapsing on the bed.
He had almost fallen asleep when he heard the portrait swing open. Knowing he was about to be chastised for leaving his bag in the hall, he quickly put his shoes on and made like he was coming from the bathroom.
"How did exams go?" Harry shouldered his bag and shrugged.
"Transfiguration was easy enough, with all the questions she asked on animagi. The others were just exhausting. I think I did well." Snape nodded his approval.
"Go put your bag in your room. Dinner is almost ready." Harry nodded and scrambled to his room, wanting to change out of his school robes now that the term was over. He slipped on his black slacks and a maroon sweater, grabbing his broom on the way out. At Snape's raised eyebrow, he explained.
"I want to get some flying in after dinner. Try out my Seeker Kit again." Snape eyed him warily.
"As long as you're back in this castle before dark," he said as they walked to the Great Hall. "You do know that Albus is going to inform the staff of our relation tonight?" Harry nodded.
"Who doesn't know?" he asked. He wanted to at least guess the reactions of those who didn't know.
"Flitwick, Hooch, Trelawney, and Binns, though I doubt the latter will care much." Harry smiled.
"Professor Flitwick won't have a huge reaction, but Trelawney will see it as a death omen." His voice became high and wispy as he imitated the Divination professor. "Discoveries of unknown relations is a indication that Saturn is in the fifth house. You will die before the New Year!" Snape chuckled a little at the almost perfect imitation of his least favorite colleague. No, wait, it was a tie between Covial and her. They entered the Great Hall together, with Harry chuckling, but Snape had placed his mask on again. McGonagall pursed her lips, but stayed silent, while Flitwick looked downright shocked. Dumbledore stood, smiling.
"Ah, perfect, now I can make the announcement. I know there aren't many of us here, but there are a few of you who do not know. Over the summer, it was revealed that Harry here is in fact the son of Severus and Lily, not James and Lily." Harry smirked as, like clockwork, those who had not known gasped. Trelawney stood, and Harry pointed her out to Snape with a look.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, this is most unfortunate. I consulted my eye earlier, and it told me of an ominous event tonight. Now that this fact has come to light, I'm afraid that –" Snape cut her off with an icy stare.
"I'm sure Harry would appreciate if you would not to finish that 'prediction,' Sybil. I believe he has had quite enough of your death omens these past three years." He continued on to his seat, and conjured a chair for Harry next to him. Trelawney huffed and swept from the room, returning to her Tower. Hooch shook her head clear and looked back and forth between them until she was satisfied she was not hallucinating. Flitwick merely smiled and tucked into his pot roast. Harry ducked his head and began his meal, ignoring the stares from McGonagall and Hooch.
He ate quickly, then raced from the hall with his broom. He practically flew out of the doors onto the Quidditch pitch, whooping with delight at the freedom he felt. Snape walked out of the castle an hour later, Nimbus 2001 in hand. Harry swooped down and smiled.
"Care to play a little one-on-one?" Snape hefted the Quaffle from the trunk and nodded. They lined up, and Harry watched him carefully, making sure the Snitch stayed in the trunk. The phantasm players conjured, Snape threw the red ball into the air. True to his word, Snape was a skilled Chaser, and easily beat Harry to the ball. He swerved in and out, outmaneuvering the faster broom, and launched the ball at the goal. "Wood" was on top of his game as he blocked it and heaved it back to Harry, who streamlined to the other goal. Harry took a shot, which was easily blocked back to Snape. Harry raced to catch him, but he was too far down the field. Snape caught the Keeper off guard, and scored an easy goal. The game continued until Snape had over four times Harry's score, and Snape slowly descended.
"I'm not as young as I used to be," he commented dryly. Harry smirked and rose high into the air, looping and showing off. Snape shot him an acid glare, but the boy just laughed it off. Snape ran a hand through his hair and sat on the bench, head in hands. Harry had more energy than he, and was happy to show it.
Harry did a few more loops, then landed softly. "You ready to go back inside? It's getting really cold out here." He could tell Snape was a bitter at being tired out by a fifteen year old, and chuckled at the very human display of emotion. Of all people in the world, Harry would have thought Snape the last person to be distressed at such a thing. Snape nodded and stood, and Harry edged nearer, shielding himself from the biting wind. Snape noticed this, and just as a large gust hit his side, he took a large stride forward, exposing the boy to the blast. He shivered and cried out, but Snape only smirked.
"That's what you get for using me as a wind shield." Harry scowled at him as they entered the castle and trekked to the dungeons. Harry pulled out a chess set and looked at his father expectantly.
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"
"I passed all my classes this term didn't I?" Harry retorted. Snape cuffed him on the shoulder.
"No need for sarcasm," he replied dryly, which caused Harry to laugh. "Now that is quite enough of that." Harry reigned in his laughter and set up the board. Within ten minutes, Snape had him in checkmate.
"I don't think I like this game anymore. Can you teach me more about becoming an animagi?" Harry put the board away, letting the players reattach lost limbs and pull themselves together.
"Don't you wish to wait for the others? Particularly Miss Granger? She has some catching up to do."
"Yeah, I gave her my notes so she could study over the break, but I told her to see you about that spell." Snape nodded.
"Yes, that was prudent. That spell can have horrible results if not done precisely." Harry snorted.
"No wonder you like it so much. You're not interested if you can't blow yourself up with one single mistake." Snape refrained from rolling his eyes.
"You can just go back up to Gryffindor Tower if you're going to be this annoying," he joked deadpanned. Harry laughed as well, but couldn't help but think there was some truth behind that statement. Perhaps Snape didn't want him down here at all, and was only tolerating him because Dumbledore told him to.
No, you twit, haven't you been paying attention the past few months? He cares for you.
He's a very good actor. Just look at Voldemort. He doesn't suspect a thing.
Harry shook his head of such a ridiculous thought and yawned widely. He nodded at his father's pointed look and bid goodnight, walking to his room. He collapsed on the bed without so much as removing his shoes.
He awoke the next morning in his night robes, tucked in carefully, and silently wondered how he'd missed that part of the night. He sat up and checked the time, bolting out of bed as he realized it was almost noon. He threw on a black robe and the slacks from the night before and shuffled out to breakfast. Snape tossed him a grapefruit smiling.
"You ready to go see the Headmaster?" Harry looked up.
"For what?"
"We're going into Hogsmeade today."
"I thought we were going to Diagon Alley?"
"Change of plans. And it would be very, er, unfortunate if one of my 'colleagues' were to see you with me."
"What if we do see someone and they tell Voldemort you have a son? Won't he be mad that you hid that from him?"
Snape nodded, "Yes, but the likelihood of us running into someone I cannot tell a convincing story to is slim. Seeing Harry Potter with me would be another matter."
"So, what? More concealing charms?" Harry asked blankly. Snape leveled an exasperated glare at him.
"The Headmaster's agreed to take the charms off for today." Harry beamed.
"That's great, but what about my name? I mean, it would look weird, you calling me Harry all the time." Snape frowned, obviously not having thought of this.
"Yes, but perhaps I will not use your name too often." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Somehow, I highly doubt that. What happens if I get into trouble? Not that I would!" he added hastily at his father's glare. "It's just, things happen, you know, especially to me."
"This does present a problem. Would you be willing to take on a new name, just for today?" Harry thought for a moment.
"What would you and Mum would have named me if, er, um..."
"Things hadn't gone the way they did?" Snape finished, gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch. Harry nodded and sat down, munching on the fruit hungrily. "Well, your mother and I had decided on two names, one boy and one girl. If you had been a girl, your name would have been Taryn Amea Snape." Harry grimaced. Thank Merlin I wasn't a girl.
~For your information, Taryn was my mother's name~ Harry looked rightfully abashed as his father continued.
"For our son, we had chosen a name not made of my name as the middle, which is custom, but one that was unique. Elijah Danin Snape." Harry tried the name silently in his head, furrowing his brow. He nodded approvingly and smiled.
"That has a nice ring to it. Elijah...well, it looks like I'm going to be Elijah Danin Snape for a few hours," he commented standing. "Shall we be going?" Snape started and jumped up, surprised at the nonchalant attitude of his son. They walked to the Headmaster's office and were let in immediately and given instructions.
"Now you two, when I take these charms off, you can no longer be Harry Potter."
Harry nodded, "We know, sir. I'm going to go by Elijah for now." Snape cut in, voicing his son's unspoken concern.
"Realize, Harry, that once Voldemort is defeated, and our secret is revealed, you will still be Harry Potter." Harry nodded blindly, amazed that he was going to be able to keep his name. Dumbledore waved his wand, casting a series of counter-charms, and soon a young man, undoubtedly a Snape, stood before them. Harry pulled his black-red, shoulder-length hair back with a black ribbon and surveyed himself in the mirror.
His face had a healthy tan from all the Quidditch he'd played. The concealment charms were making his face retain the baby paleness he'd had as a child. His emerald eyes contrasted beautifully with his ebony hair, highlighted with a tint of red. The loose black robes showed off his muscular arms from Quidditch and chores from the Dursleys.
"Are you ready to go, Elijah?" Harry whirled, smirking.
"Yes, father," he replied, surprising the older man. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fire.
"Three Broomsticks!" he called out. He disappeared in a whirl of green flame, and he landed in Rosmerta's fireplace. He stepped out, brushing the soot off his robes, and waited for Snape to join him. The man appeared seconds later, and, with a wave of his wand, cleaned them both of the soot.
"Good day, Severus!" a cheery female voice greeted. Snape turned to find Rosmerta smiling at them. "Who is this handsome young man?"
"This is my son, Elijah. Elijah, this is Rosmerta, the owner of this establishment." Harry held out his hand politely, which Rosmerta took.
"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am," Harry intoned, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.
"Such a polite young man, how come I've never seen him before. He's of the right age to be at Hogwarts, no?"
"Yes, he's fifteen. He attends an elite private school; he is just here for the holidays." Rosmerta smiled knowingly.
"Getting into the spirit this year, eh Severus?" she winked.
"Yes, of course, now we must be going." He swept out of the room. Harry nodded at the woman.
"It was a pleasure to have met you, Ma'am," and he, too, swept out, smirking to himself at the billowing effect. Must be a Snape thing.
They went to Gringotts, and Harry scrunched his face in thought. "I thought Gringotts was in Diagon Alley?"
Snape smirked at his son's ignorance, "This is a branch bank. They give you their money, then take it from your vault in London." Harry nodded and waited in the hall while Snape went in. He was approached by a few people, but as they recognized his name, they shied away. Snape came back with two pouches of money and handed one to Harry.
"You can pay me back when you're yourself again. It would look suspicious for you to be entering the Potter vault." Harry nodded at his father's whisper and took the bag. "Now," Snape said, raising his voice to normal levels, "meet me back at the Three Broomsticks in two hours. We will have lunch, then return to the castle." Harry nodded.
"Bye Father!" he bounded off to buy presents for his friends. And family, he amended, and family.
His first stop was Zonko's, where he loaded up on things for the twins. He moved next door to Messan's Fine Jewelers. He searched the display cases for an item to give Hermione.
"Can I help you sir?" Harry whirled around to come face to face with a lean aristocratic man. He held himself up, reminding himself he was a Snape, and nodded curtly.
"Yes, I am looking for something for my girlfriend."
"What house is she in?" Harry, not knowing if this private school had houses, decided they didn't. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"House? Ah, yes, Father mentioned that Hogwarts separates its students. I attend a private institution."
"Who is your father, sir? Perhaps I know him?" Harry smirked at this man, no older than 23 years of age, and replied.
"Severus Snape is my father. He is the potions master at Hogwarts," he said proudly. The man paled a little.
"Professor Snape, you say? I didn't know he had a son!"
"Well he does," Harry replied coolly. "Now, can you help me?" The man faltered a little, but regained his composure.
"Yes, we just got a shipment in of new merchandise. Would you care to step this way?" He gestured to the corner of the store, and Harry followed, waiting as the man stepped into the back room. He came out again with a single box, and handed it to Harry.
"This is a one of a kind bracelet. For you, I'll sell it for 45 Galleons." Harry balked at the price, but gasped when he opened it up.
It was silver at first, then when the light hit it, it changed from copper, to gold, to bronze, and many other metals Harry couldn't name.
"It's called Trans-Omnimetal, and it holds properties of them all. It will even shift its appearance based on the wearer's attire. It can be worn as a simple bracelet, or it has places to attach charms." Harry saw the small rings and smiled. Shutting the box, he pulled out his money bag. He picked out a lion charm, claiming that was her favorite animal, and paid 45 Galleons and 7 Sickles for the lot. He pocketed both items and bid the man farewell, exiting out into the street. He walked into a familiar store, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and looked around. This store was much larger than its Diagon Alley counterpart, and Harry spent the better part of an hour wandering around. He finally decided on engraved Keeper gloves for Ginny and moved down the street further.
Let's see, he thought, that leaves Ron, Blaise, and Father. He stopped short, realizing that he was calling Snape father even in his head, not just for the benefit of others. Shaking his head in amusement, he entered a game and hobby shop. He wandered into the board games and found a chess set, but instead of normal black and white, the pieces were red and gold. He pulled it down and looked at it, noticing the inset of a lion under the checkerboard. Checking the price, he tucked it under his arm and continued to look. He found himself in a section of the store with thousands of miniature animals, all moving about on their platforms. He selected a sleek snow leopard for Blaise and paid for the two items. That only left Snape.
He checked the time, and upon finding he only had half an hour, began hunting down the perfect gift. This was his first ever present to a family member, and he wanted it to be special.
He passed a pet shop and stopped to look in the window. He laughed at the thought of seeing Snape's face upon receiving a puppy. He entered, with full intention of getting the mangiest mutt he could find when a back display caught his eye. He walked over and leaned down, peering in the cage.
A sleek black kitten, blacker than night, was sitting licking his paw. The cat stopped when it noticed the human staring at it, and glared back at being interrupted. Harry startled, and laughed to himself. The cat just glared at him! He walked up to the counter.
"Sir, I want that cat over there," he pointed to the glaring cat, which had gone back to preening himself. The attendant looked at Harry, then back at that cat.
"Young sir, that cat is extremely unpleasant. He won't associate with the other cats, and he hisses at anyone who gets too close." Harry smirked.
"That's exactly why I want it. It fits Father's personality perfectly." The older man eyed him.
"You look mighty familiar. Have I seen you 'round here before?" Harry held his head up haughtily, imitating Draco best he could.
"No sir, I come from an elite private school up north. I am merely visiting Father for Christmas, as Mother passed away." The man nodded, not really knowing Harry had only lied about the private school, and even that wasn't a total lie. It was private…if you were a Muggle.
"Sorry to hear that, son. Here," the man limped over and scooped up the cat, who promptly hissed at the indignant actions of the human. Harry stroked the cat, then lifted him out of the man's arms. Harry paid the man for the cat, a carrier, food, dishes, and all the feline accessories Harry didn't know existed. The man smiled, and promptly pulled a wand and shrunk everything but the cat, including Harry's other items. Harry grabbed a large bag, put the cat in the carrier, and placed the carrier in the bag. All the other shrunken items were on top, hiding the cat from prying eyes. He thanked the man after bidding him a Happy Christmas and walked back to the designated spot, where Snape was waiting.
"You are early," Snape praised, sounding rather surprised. "What do you say to lunch?" Harry nodded, following his father back to the Three Broomsticks.
The second they arrived at the castle, Harry dashed to Gryffindor Tower and stored his things. Hopefully, Snape wouldn't go noising around. He wrapped the chess set, the Keeper equipment, and the snow leopard in one package and set it aside for owl delivery to the Burrow.
He let the cat run free in his dorm, as no one would be staying there until the New Year. The charm bracelet he kept on him, not wanting to lose it, and trudged back downstairs to start on his holiday homework.
"I can't believe you give homework over Christmas," he mumbled, flipping through his father's library.
"It is to keep you on your toes, as it were. Can't have you slacking off now." Harry leapt out of his seat.
"You mean I'm the only one with homework! That's unfair!"
"Sit down, Harry," he did so and grunted. "Now, though I may not like it, Dumbledore has asked me to make sure you are prepared for Voldemort. I have a strong feeling he won't be quiet for long, and you need to be ready. So, if you'll look at your work, you will find that it is only pertinent to defeating the Dark Lord." Harry nodded and resumed his search for the nightshade plant. Finally, at about 5 o'clock, it was time for dinner.
Good thing too, my eyes were beginning to ache. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as they walked to the Great Hall. But when they found themselves in front of the gargoyle, Harry asked with his look.
"We're here to replace the charms," Snape said, motioning to Harry's appearance. Harry nodded sadly. He was getting used to the look; but he supposed it would be a bit of a shock for the others so soon after the announcement.
Dinner passed quietly, and as Harry walked out of the Great Hall, he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up at his father questioningly, and Snape smiled.
"Come on, I think there's something waiting for us in my chambers." Confused but curious, Harry followed the man down to the dungeons.